A photovoltaic device converts the energy of sunlight directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic device can be, for example, a photovoltaic cell, such as a crystalline silicon cell or a thin-film cell. In thin-film photovoltaic devices, the photovoltaic cell can include a substrate and an active material layer formed between a front support and a back support. The front and back supports are made of a transparent material, such as, glass, to allow light to pass through to the active material layer. The active material layer is formed of one or more layers of semiconductor material such as cadmium telluride (CdTe) or cadium sulfide (CdS).
The growing demand for solar power pushes for advancements in photovoltaic devices which will produce higher energy yields. At the same time, as demand to produce highly efficient photovoltaic devices grows, there is a need to reduce the costs of manufacturing these photovoltaic devices. Accordingly, a photovoltaic device with improved energy output and lower manufacturing costs is desirable.